2025 has been the longest year of my life and the shortest year of my life. It has been the smoothest and the most turbulent, the brightest and the darkest – all at the same time. Staying true to its name, The Year of the Snake comprised of shedding and transitioning. These changes were not subtle and slow, in most cases they were sudden and definite and the decision to change came fast and furious over night. Not changing or progressing wasn’t an option.
My hope for this monthly newsletter is to teach my mailing list more about me and to be vulnerable and speak from the heart. So here goes!
This past year I struggled with paralyzing anxiety that led to rumination, catastrophizing and extremely intrusive and negative thoughts that scared me deeply. At the end of May a close friend expressed her concern while we were on a highway drive from North to South. She was so concerned about my mental health that it triggered something deep within me and I sought the help of a psychiatrist. I knew I needed help and more focused help than my traditional self-help tool-box of yoga, breathing, journaling and exercise were providing me with.
Without bearing my soul too much more to 1000s of people on this mailing list, my experience was an extremely positive and fruitful one and 6 months later I am truly feeling the effects of this much needed lifeline. I feel as though I have come back to myself, and I have silenced the intrusive, nagging voices that plagued me. I am for the first time in well over a year able to truly relax and enjoy the present moment. 2025 brought that to me. It was a true shedding of the heavy, thick skin that was weighing me down and hiding the true essence of the person I know I am – happy, fun-loving, silly, expressive, and confident. In-keeping with this self-re-discovery I decided that this newsletter will be twelve lessons that this year of the snake forced me to learn while I ploughed through the marshes of my mental health journey and balanced motherhood and being a CEO. In effect I am sharing one lesson for each month of this year.
- Consistency is key –
Small steps, repeated daily, create the biggest breakthroughs. This has been our motto when it comes to our Hart & Co. social media presence. - There is no need to reinvent the wheel –
Use what works; save your energy for what truly needs your magic. - Be honest about what is working and what isn’t –
Clarity beats chaos every single time. - This too shall pass –
No high or low lasts forever; ride the waves with grace. - If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it’s a DUCK! –
Always trust your gut and intuition. I have been in this business for a decade, and I will honour my knowledge and instincts. - Weekly team meetings are a non-negotiable –
Connecting with my team every Monday morning was a game changer in our agency. Alignment today prevents chaos tomorrow. - Motherhood and ambition can coexist –
You don’t have to dim one to fuel the other. Some days one will lead, some days the other and that’s okay. - Grace is a form of strength, not weakness –
Learning to give myself grace as a mother, a leader, and a human kept me from burning out more than any productivity hack ever could. - You can do anything, but not everything at the same time –
Trying to shoulder every responsibility is a fast track to overwhelm. Delegating is not failure; it’s strategy. - Protect your peace like it’s a priceless asset –
Because it is. My energy sets the tone for my home, my team, and my own clarity. - Small wins matter, celebrate them! –
Instead of always focusing on doing more and more, maybe standing still and appreciating how far we have come is enough. Sometimes the quiet, steady victories carry you through the hardest seasons. - Rest is not optional, it’s part of the work –
My knee surgery was the perfect example of my body being forced to slow down and rest. As challenging as it was, I am feeling refreshed and more productive than ever.
A Real Estate Musing to Carry Into 2026
With global economic and political uncertainty looming, clients often ask the same question: “What’s the most responsible real estate decision in a market like this?”
For a long time, I didn’t have a confident answer – especially now, with rising tensions abroad and U.S. military vessels unsettling our own Caribbean waters. The atmosphere has felt heavy, and clarity has been hard to come by.
But this week, something crystallized for me. My answer going into 2026 is simple:
This is home.
And the real question becomes: What does “home” mean to you?
Is it wide open land, trees, and the grounding embrace of nature?
Is it something compact, minimal, and deeply convenient?
Is it returning to multigenerational living and recognizing that it truly takes a village to raise children and that old models offered more connection than we realized?
Whatever “home” looks like for you, lean into it. Claim it. Secure it for yourself and the people you love. Life is fleeting, unpredictable, and far too precious to delay the pursuit of genuine joy and fulfilment.
And maybe your concept of home isn’t rooted in Trinidad and Tobago at all. If that’s the case, explore it. Be open to new landscapes, new possibilities, and even new countries. “Home” doesn’t have to be static.
At the end of the day, the most financially responsible and future-proof real estate decision anyone can make right now is to choose quality over flash, location over luxury, and joy over square footage. Prioritize what serves your family’s needs today—and what will give you peace in the years to come.
I would like to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas season! May the Christmas magic swirl through your home and may your ponche de crème be strong!
Cheers we made it!
– Zoë x
